These bikes
have a straight up and down sitting position, and a small windscreen to take the
edge of the wind. The Norwegian main dealer gives me a bike that is both chip
tuned and has a racing exhaust with carbon silencers. Which according to them
brings the number of viril horses up to 147 from the original 130. A number I do
not question as I slip in third gear and the front wheel touches the road again.

Extras

I have always
liked the look's of these Monster's Ducati, and I am a big fan of the sitting
position because I was all done with the foster position the supersport bike's
force you into after nine months inside my mother. This one has several details
in carbon that both gives it a more bad boy look, and it saves some weight. The
two silencers in carbon is mounted on the same side, a feature that I am no fan
of, it just looks out of balance. The tube frame is red, base color on the bike
is white with red stripes, a combo that looks very good on the bike.

The drive
line

The 998 ccm
or 60 cubic inch v-twin engine is water cooled, and straight out of the box it
pushes out 130 break horsepower. The racing exhaust gives the bike a better
sound, but I still like the sound of the Japanese v-twins better, then again I
have always liked sushi better than pasta. The gearbox has the six gears it
needs, and the change is smooth and fast.

On the road

The seat
vibrates in a wonderfull way when the engine comes to live as I push the start
button, and the sound let's me know that this is a v-twin. The engine pulls
strong from about 3.000 rpm, and overtaking cars or eighteen wheelers are just
pure joy. Bellow 3.000 rpm the engine let's me know that it is not comfortable
at all by vibrating hard when asked to accelerate. But watch out, at around
7.000 rpm, in first and second, the front wheel goes into the air when you run
it flat out. No mater how mutch I lean forward the front end comes up.
Entertaining at first, but out on the road I would like the front wheel to stay
down. In my eyes it is much easier to use all the 147 stallions if the front
stayed down. And with my skill of riding, I do not appreciate the front coming
when overtaking in turns or riding hard out of corners.

Out on the
open road I feel the upgraded suspension, the bike is easy to turn in, stabel
thru the corners, even when I accelorate quite hard, and uneaven surface does
not make the bike unstabel. But at higher speeds, from about 90-100 mph the bike
is a little unstable. But Ducati never built this bike to fast in a straight
line, they have other bikes that do that much better.

It the need
for redusing the speed comes up, and it does from time to time, do not grab the
break handel with all four fingers and give it what you got. Because the breaks
are very good, two fingers and a semi hard grip is enough, more than that and
you either lift up the back wheel or look up the front wheel. Which in both
cases can end up with some dirt, sky, dirt, sky, dirt, sky action often folloved
by a ride in an ambulance. The gearbox makes gear change very easy and precise,
but a couple of times it kicked out of first after I had tapped it down from a
stand still and was about to take of.

Conclusion

With this
bike you get one of the most powerfull v-twin engines on the marked, put into a
very good chasis that loves cornering. Breaks that brings you to a complete stop
just as fast as a supersport bike. The sitting position is relaxing, and the
little wind screen takes some of the wind of your chest. And apart from the ugly
solution with the two silencers on the same side, the bike is really though
looking. The price is a bit high, but who cares about that as long as your bank
can afford it.

The Facts:

Engine:
60 cubic inch / 998 ccm

Enginetype:
Watercooled v-twin

Horsepower:
130 hk (147 hk) at 9.500 rpm

Torque:
69 Ib-ft at 7.500 rpm

Fuel tank:
3,6 gallons / 13,5 liters

Front tyre: 120/70
ZR 17

Rear tyre: 180/55 ZR
17

Weight dry: 424 Ibs
/ 193 kg

MSRP:
$15.000 (stock)

Thank you so mutch
Løvaas Motor for very good
service and some nice hot coffee in the morning :-))